Which of the following sentences has an error in subject-verb agreement?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Somebody from the electricity board have come to check the meter.
“Somebody” takes a singular verb:
- The given sentence says “Somebody from the electricity board have come”.
- Words like “somebody”, “everyone” and “nobody” are singular. “From the electricity board” does not change the subject. So the verb must be “has come”.
- Corrected: Somebody from the electricity board has come to check the meter.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Our school choir has won its first trophy at the district festival. This sentence is correct. “Our school choir” acts as one group here, as “its” shows. So it takes the singular verb “has”.
Option 3: Not only my cousins but also my sister plays the sitar. This sentence is correct. With “not only ... but also”, the verb agrees with the nearer subject, “my sister”. It is singular, so “plays” is right.
Option 4: Ankit is the only one of the boys who knows how to swim. This sentence is correct. “Who” stands for “the only one”, which is singular. So “knows” is right.